In the early morning hours of February 22, 2014, the lives of 35-year-old Antorie D. Coates, a Black/African American male, and 30-year-old Alida Maria Cruz were violently cut short in a horrifying sequence of events that unfolded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The couple was shot multiple times inside a minivan in what authorities believe was a dispute over several thousand dollars that the perpetrator, a drug dealer named William 'Pookie' Deputy, accused Coates of stealing.
Following
the shooting at an undisclosed location, Deputy drove the van containing the bodies of Coates and Cruz to the 2200 block of Orthodox Street in the Frankford section of the city. His intention was to set the vehicle on fire to destroy the evidence. However, he was interrupted by a security guard from a nearby auto-towing yard who informed him that he was being recorded by surveillance cameras. Undeterred, Deputy moved the minivan around the corner to the 4600 block of Trenton Avenue. There, he doused the vehicle in gasoline and set it ablaze, a desperate act that resulted in severe burns to his own body. Firefighters who responded to the scene at approximately 3:55 a.m. quickly extinguished the flames, only to discover the charred remains of Coates and Cruz inside, burned beyond recognition.
The investigation swiftly led to William Deputy, who was then 36 years old and resided in Upper Darby. On March 1, 2014, a week after the murders, a large contingent of law enforcement officers, including Philadelphia and Upper Darby police, as well as the U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force, descended upon his girlfriend's home. They found Deputy hiding under a pile of blankets, suffering from fresh burn marks on his body and his beard having been singed off. He was arrested and subsequently charged with two counts of murder, arson, and related offenses.
In September 2015, William Deputy pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder. The plea agreement spared him the death penalty, and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. During the emotional court proceedings, Deputy wept as family members of both victims, including Coates' mother and sister, delivered victim-impact statements. In a remarkable display of grace, they expressed their forgiveness towards him. Following the hearing, relatives of both the victims and the killer were seen embracing. The assistant district attorney noted that he believed Alida Maria Cruz was an innocent bystander who tragically happened to be with Coates when Deputy confronted and killed him.
